Can someone who grows carnivorous plants ID this pitcher plant? I know that the genus is Nepenthes (at least I think that's right) but don't know the variety. Someone in our Mississippi State University Horticultural Club brought it to me to ID it, but I don't grow pitcher plants.

drdawg (Ken Ramsey) - Tropical Plants & More
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If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have put them on my knees.

The Horticultural Club student gave me three cuttings, and I am going to try to root them. Before he came over, I had made up my mind to purchase 4-6 Drosera plants, perhaps the cape sundew.

I use those bright yellow sticky cards to capture flying insects in my greenhouses and thought having some carnivorous plants would be a nice, natural addition. I think I might have had a carnivorous plant way back in the mid to late 70's, but I really don't remember what sort of plant it was.

drdawg (Ken Ramsey) - Tropical Plants & More
[url=www.tropicalplantsandmore.com]www.tropicalplantsandmore.com[/url]
If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have put them on my knees.

The pictures you see are that of the Horticultural Club student at Mississippi State University. I just have the three cuttings to try to root.

I would continue to use my bright yellow, sticky cards and these are very effective in capturing flying insects. I don't use pesticides in my two greenhouses. I just thought it would be interesting to grow some carnivores as well, since they prefer high humidity, warmth, and bright light. That's everything that my 100's or orchids love.

Tell me something. Do you use tap water or do you use rain/reverse osmosis/distilled water? Do you know whether tap water is a no-no for growing these plants? I am thinking of growing some Drosera as well as the three Nepenthes (if they root).

Ken

drdawg (Ken Ramsey) - Tropical Plants & More
[url=www.tropicalplantsandmore.com]www.tropicalplantsandmore.com[/url]
If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have put them on my knees.

Ken, I try to use rain water for mine, but they have also received showers of tap water, and I've not noticed a problem as yet...But I do try to keep to the rain water. If I remember correctly, the person that I bought mine from also recommended the distilled. I'll be interested to hear @Maidens response to this...

drdawg said:The pictures you see are that of the Horticultural Club student at Mississippi State University. I just have the three cuttings to try to root.

I would continue to use my bright yellow, sticky cards and these are very effective in capturing flying insects. I don't use pesticides in my two greenhouses. I just thought it would be interesting to grow some carnivores as well, since they prefer high humidity, warmth, and bright light. That's everything that my 100's or orchids love.

Tell me something. Do you use tap water or do you use rain/reverse osmosis/distilled water? Do you know whether tap water is a no-no for growing these plants? I am thinking of growing some Drosera as well as the three Nepenthes (if they root).

Ken

If your water is above 50PPM, you should use only rain or distilled(demineralized) water. High PPM water's minerals will slowly stuck on the roots, and the plant will not be able to suck water properly. The leaves will slowly turn yellow/brownish from bottom to the growing tip and your plant will dry up.

Also, like Metrosideros said, the 'true' alata is very rare in private collections.

For your cuttings, from my experience, the best way to roots em is with long fiber sphagnum moss+liquid rooting hormones :)
If your cutting is not fresh, or start to be brownish, i suggest to do a fresh new cut. This will help a lot !

Eleven months later, I have one "Pitcher Plant" that rooted/survived. This Nepenthes alata is a cute little thing and four of its leaves are now growing these pitchers. The largest pitcher is only about an inch long and the four leaves have four stages of growth. Isn't that just neat! This plant has never had anything but tap water. It just got watered and fertilized when my orchids did. Now that it is growing up, I will be able to park it under an oak tree in the spring and it will then get some rainwater as well as tap.

drdawg (Ken Ramsey) - Tropical Plants & More
[url=www.tropicalplantsandmore.com]www.tropicalplantsandmore.com[/url]
If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have put them on my knees.